Re:Gender works to end gender inequity by exposing root causes and advancing research-informed action. Working with multiple sectors and disciplines, we are shaping a world that demands fairness across difference.

Social Justice Double-Take: Unemployed Need Not Apply

My jaw dropped this morning as I casually scrolled through my e-mail and this popped onto the screen: "discrimination against jobless Americans on the rise." What the what?! Apparently some employers are explictly excluding unemployed Americans from their job applicant pools with job listings that say "no unemployed candidates will be considered." In what universe does it make sense to only hire applicants who already have a job? Especially when we know that there are five job seekers for every job openings and 13.9 million people are unemployed and actively seeking employment! Christine Owens, Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project, brought this disturbing trend to the government's attention today in her testimony before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Click here to read her testimony, "Out of Work, Out of Luck? Denying Employment Opportunities to Unemployed Job Seekers."